Take it slow and start training at least half a year before you intent to run the Marathon. Start slowly and keep special attention to your footwork, pace and frequency and KEEP it that way all through your run. Increase distance from time to time and, to trick the brain, run away from your house, not just in circles .. so you need to run all the way back and just can't simply take a detaour and head back home if fun fails you.

Quoting LH526 (Reply 1):Take it slow and start training at least half a year before you intent to run the Marathon. Start slowly and keep special attention to your footwork, pace and frequency and KEEP it that way all through your run. Increase distance from time to time and, to trick the brain, run away from your house, not just in circles .. so you need to run all the way back and just can't simply take a detaour and head back home if fun fails you.

Mario gave you some great tips.
I'll add something: don't forget a stopwatch.

BTW, I didn't.
I have to start my trainings. If I'm not mistaken after a month in PRN will take place Prishtina International Half-Marathon 2009. There are less possibilities to join in.

Do not just set out to run a certain distance each time you train. If you plan to run three times per week, then one day you should run a set distance that will gradually get longer, the second day you should run a set time that will gradually get longer, and the third day you should run sprints/stairs/bleachers etc. For example, on Monday you could run 3 miles, Wednesday you could do the speed work, and Friday you could run for 90 minutes.

Most importantly, is to keep some sort of log to track your progress and set a goal each time you go out to train.

Oh... and if the marathon you plan on running is local... it may not be a bad idea to do some of your training on the actual marathon course. Get an idea of the land... what your splits are on different segments, etc.

Quoting B742 (Thread starter):Just wondering in anyone on a.net has ever ran or is in training to run a marathon?

I will be starting my training next week and would be interested to see which steps people did (or are doing) to train for the marathon.

Good luck to you B742.

I started traing in January for a marathon in October, I intend to do a 10K next month and possibly a half marathon in May.

I am making steady progress and would advise not to get too far ahead of yourself and expect more from your body than it can deliver in the early stages. After 2 months of work I now feel that my body is changing and getting stronger, but was dissapointed in january that there was only a slow improvment to begin with. I started at 225lb and have only lost 3lbs as of last Sunday, but my cloths all fit better now as my physical shape is also changing as it tones up.

Yes, L.A. 1994 - 3:07, with a really bad cold otherwise I know I would have ran a 2:50 - hazard of training in the winter.

My advice - start training slowly about 4-5 months before the event running about 30 -miles a week, advance 10 miles a week each month. 3 mos. before the event introduce a 10 mile run every other weekend, bump it up to 15 miles by the end of the second month before the event. The longest run you should do is a 20 mile run 2 weeks before the event, then taper down your distance to 7-10 miles a day, 4 days a week, for the two remaining weeks before the event. The training will prepare your mental toughness - you're going to need it. Good luck!

Quoting B742 (Thread starter):I will be starting my training next week and would be interested to see which steps people did (or are doing) to train for the marathon.

I've done 4 marathons and an Ironman triathlon which includes a marathon run after the 2.4 mile swim and 112 mile bike.

You can find all sorts of daily training plans if you look on Amazon or just Google. Whichever you choose, my advice is this: train with consistency. A lot of people start out with ambitious training programs then get distracted by work, family, friends, etc. When push comes to shove, most athletes readily drop their workout time to focus on other areas of life. If you want a pleasant marathon experience, you've got to have your priorities aligned so that you can train consistently.

Aside from training consistently within an 18-week marathon program or whatever, I would ask yourself what running goals you have beyond a marathon. The cool thing about endurance sports like running and triathlon is that they can truly become life-long pursuits if you train properly and take care of your body. It may be the case that you're just not ready to run a marathon this season and trying to force your body through 26.2 miles could do some serious damage. If you view running as a long-term commitment, it's immaterial if you marathon this year or next.

Lastly, it says in your profile that you are 16-20. That is a great age to enter endurance sports because you luck into a physiological miracle of the human body. You're going to get better and better and better without much little additional effort from now until you're in your early/mid-30s, but only if you train consistently!

If you succeed in your marathon this year or next, you should be very proud knowing what you could do in a few years

Quoting LH526 (Reply 1):and, to trick the brain, run away from your house, not just in circles .. so you need to run all the way back and just can't simply take a detaour and head back home if fun fails you.

I've done five marathons, and I think that much of the advice given is very good. I don't think a half year of training is absolutely necessary, but that's me. When I started thinking about my first one, I downloaded a training plan from "Runner's World" magazine, 16 weeks. But it's fairly intensive - running 6 days out of 7, sometimes putting in a little weight training for one day.

Basically 5 of the running days are for pace, stride, form. Only 1 is for distance, and that distance tends to build week to week for about a month, then relaxes on the 5th week, then starts building again. You never actually in the training program run the full distance, but you do get out to about 32-33 km. The shorter weekday runs are mostly of the 30 min - 1 hour length. Some are focussed on running at varying paces, hard, slow, then hard again, then slow again. Some are intended to help you lengthen your stride.

For myself, I never took water with me for anything less than about 12km. Anything over that, I did. Anything more than about 15-16km, I took a carb gel with me. Learning how to manage your energy & fluids on a marathon is very important. Too little water is bad, too much can be dangerous. Running in differing conditions can be instructive as well. Avoid running in steady rain, hypothermia and blisters can be an issue, but a brief shower isn't too bad. Varying your running route is useful as well.

A very useful tool for planning your runs: www.gmap-pedometer.com
This is a navigation app overlaid on Google Maps. Quite useful.

Quoting Dragon6172 (Reply 3):Most importantly, is to keep some sort of log to track your progress and set a goal each time you go out to train.

I find this very important. I used to keep a detailed log when I was cycling a lot. I kept everything that had to do with the performance itself but also some information about various things like the weather or how I was feeling during and after the ride... Also if you can, training with a hearth-rate monitor will be very useful. Be careful if you train with a group, it may be useful at some point but always remember to follow your body, not the group

Back to Rob's first question, I've never ran more than 2 or 3 kilometers even if I've always considered running as a wonderful sport. For various reasons I've completely stopped cycling a few years ago but now that I'm becoming "fat" I'd like to do something. If someone has some ideas for a beginner, feel free Hats off to all of you and wish me good luck !

I've run two marathons - four years ago I ran the Boston (3:17hr) and two years ago I ran an Army marathon (3:06). I've also participated in the Bataan Memorial Death March (marathon Army uniforms, combat boots, 35-pound ruck sack, on hilly and sandy terrain) in 5:37hr.

All of them I trained for at least three months prior to the event, 5-6 days a week. If you run a marathon, it is a major commitment, and you need to start early, and STICK WITH IT. Everyone has given some really good advice, so far, and I concur. Work on form, stride and rhythm. Slowly build up your endurance, pushing yourself a little bit more each training session.

Also, one small piece of advice: encourage friends and family to go and cheer you along. It might sound trivial, but when you get to that 20mile mark, and you're feeling pretty lousy... having some friends cheering you along can be the thing that pushes you to finish.

Quoting UH60FtRucker (Reply 13):All of them I trained for at least three months prior to the event, 5-6 days a week. If you run a marathon, it is a major commitment, and you need to start early, and STICK WITH IT. Everyone has given some really good advice, so far, and I concur. Work on form, stride and rhythm. Slowly build up your endurance, pushing yourself a little bit more each training session.

Also, one small piece of advice: encourage friends and family to go and cheer you along. It might sound trivial, but when you get to that 20mile mark, and you're feeling pretty lousy... having some friends cheering you along can be the thing that pushes you to finish.

Two very good points. I should have included the 1st one for sure. Training for a marathon is a big, big time commitment. Expect to put in 700-800 km preparing for the actual event. If you can find a training partner, that would be excellent, it motivates you even more.

The 2nd point also speaks to the psychology of the event. If you've prepared properly, physically you should be OK. But the mental side of things is frequently what does you in past the 20 mile or so point. Having cheerleaders does have a positive effect. In the National Capital Marathon in Ottawa (last weekend of May, www.ncm.ca), the organizers spot musical groups every 5-7km along the route. There are thousands of local people out cheering you on. And the last 3-4km is along the Rideau Canal, with music pulling you forward towards the finish line.

When you get to the finish, the feeling is incredible. You'vedone the work, it's your own personal victory.

Quoting UH60FtRucker (Reply 13):one small piece of advice: encourage friends and family to go and cheer you along. It might sound trivial, but when you get to that 20mile mark, and you're feeling pretty lousy... having some friends cheering you along can be the thing that pushes you to finish.

Along similar lines to UH60's suggestion (a good one I might add); if there's any nearby running club(s), you might want to check it/them out. There may be a few others that are also training for either any marathon or the particular marathon you're planning on participating.

It could inaugurate a form of buddy/accountability system for your training.